Recently, the C.E.O of Arrowood wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin regarding the direction of the Travel and Tourism Industry during and after the Covid-19 vaccination program.
The content of the letter has also been published by The Star: http://bit.ly/covidvaccinationdrive
(Photo: Azhar Mahfof, The Star).
Dear YAB Tan Sri,
Re: COVID-19 Vaccination Drive: The Survival of Travel and Tourism Industry
COVID-19 pandemic is no doubt disrupting the Malaysian economy and the quality of life. Although we are living in such a situation, YAB Tan Sri and your government are showing excellent work to ensure the survival of Malaysians and our economy. We truly appreciate and acknowledge the government’s effort to flatten the COVID-19 curve and at the same time focusing on how to avoid shutdowns of business in the country.
Despite all efforts, the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases have brought most of the of Hotels to their knees. The Travel and Tourism Industry which is the backbone of the global economy is now in a fight for survival.
As the Malaysian COVID-19 vaccination program is underway to the public very soon, I believe other than the efforts made by the government, there are additional ways to increase the pace of restarting the Travel and Tourism Industry. Kindly allow me to propose five vital measures to aid the recovery of the industry and also to protect the livelihood and welfare of millions of people in the industry.
1. Include The Hoteliers As Front Liners To Receive The First Stage Of Vaccination Rollout
Just like the front liners from other industries, hotel workers have remained on the front lines since our first Movement Control Order (MCO). The hotel workers have been continuously dealing with potential COVID-19 patients as many of the Hotel buildings are being utilised as quarantine centers. Some hotels are also providing special deals and packages for medical personnel to accommodate them after their long shift. Additionally, the hotel workers have to deal with interstate travellers which adds to the COVID-19 exposure risk. Therefore, it is critical to prioritize the hotel workers and categorise them as the front liners alongside the medical personnel to receive the first batch of vaccination. Taking an example from our neighbouring country, Singapore, they prioritized hotel workers for vaccination as the minister acknowledges hotel workers as front liners and the Hotel and Tourism Industry is the critical pillar to their economy.
2. Hotels To Be Used As Vaccination Deployment Center
The industry is always looking forward to supporting the government in curbing the virus. With the Hotels’ unique capability and our existing implementation of security measures, we believe that Hotels are the ideal venues for vaccination deployment centers. Given the fact that there are a lot of existing Hotels in every state, city and suburb, Hotels have the geographic reach to support a wide distribution of the vaccine. One Hotel from each district will be chosen as the vaccination deployment centre. If there were any COVID-19-positive cases, it would be contained at the particular Hotel or district without disrupting the deployments of vaccines in other districts. This could provide a gleam of hope to recover from this crisis by speeding up the vaccination process.
3. Designated Tour Guides To Coordinate Groups Of Vaccine Recipients
Tour guides are among the people who contribute to the growth of the Travel and Tourism Industry and are familiar with coordinating and managing a group of people. With their skill set, they are able to coordinate and manage groups of people by becoming an extended arm of Malaysian healthcare workers. The tour guides would be given specific residential areas where they are tasked to bring them to the selected vaccination deployment center and send them back home. This could facilitate the vaccination process, reduce the stress of medical professionals and at the same time drive income for the industry.
4. Vaccinated People To Be Allowed To Travel Without Having To Quarantine
Malaysians who have successfully received a complete dose of vaccine should be allowed to travel domestically and internationally without having to quarantine themselves. Nevertheless, the new norm practices should still be practised which includes social distancing and the usage of face masks. Moreover, business travellers should also be allowed to travel to manage their business and they are free to return to Malaysia without having to quarantine.
5. Allow Vaccinated International Travellers To Enter Malaysia
Allowing international travellers to enter Malaysia would be the only way for us to revive the Travel and Tourism Industry. This can be made possible with a ‘vaccination document.’ As long as international travellers are able to provide proof that they have been vaccinated, they should be allowed to travel to Malaysia. Many countries are also considering this approach as it can revive the industry. Countries such as Seychelles, Romania, Cyprus, Iceland, Lebanon and Poland have opened their doors to welcome international visitors. No quarantine or COVID-19 test is required just by providing proof of a complete vaccination and by adhering to their travel procedures.
In order to test the viability of this concept, we can open our borders to selected states that have the highest Foreign Direct Investments in Malaysia. The first 3 states to open would be Selangor, Penang and Johor followed by other parts of the country gradually. We believe this is a solid action plan to avoid any unwanted scenarios. This could be recognised as the globally harmonised cross-border effort in saving the industry and the economy.
Indeed, almost every industry is affected by this global health crisis. Nevertheless, allowing Hotels to be the additional venues for the deployment of vaccination and with the helping hands from the tour guides could possibly fasten the recovery process and brings benefit all of us. With that, the interstate and travel restrictions can be lifted with certain procedures to allow the industry to breathe again. I strongly believe that with continuous effort and in the right direction, we will be able to recover from this economic catastrophe as soon as possible.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. The measures recommended are not an overnight process but it was all based on my readings and observations on what other countries have been doing. My intention is nothing but to help the Malaysian government to boost our economy back during this critical situation. Together, I hope these measures could save an industry that is already facing collapse. Once again, thank you and hopefully, you will take the measures into consideration.
Adrian Praveen
CEO of Arrowood International
